Events
Previous Events:
2002
Mar. 13-14: “Catholics, the Media, and the American Public Square” — 2-day conference in Washington, DC. Speakers were:
Keynote address — Archbishop John P. Foley, President, Pontifical Council for Social Communications
Session I: Catholic Newspapers and News Gathering — Rev. Owen Kearns, National Catholic Register; Robert Lockwood, Diocese of Pittsburgh; Michael Flach, Arlington Catholic Herald
Session II: Catholic Magazines — Deal Hudson, Crisis; Philip Lawler, Catholic World Report; David Mills, Touchstone
Luncheon address — Thomas Reeves, author, America’s Bishop: The Life and Times of Fulton J. Sheen
Session III: Catholics in Secular Media — J. Bottum, The Weekly Standard; Rod Dreher, National Review; Kate O’Beirne, The Capitol Gang
Session IV: Newer Media — Raymond Arroyo, EWTN; Frank Murdock, Unda-USA; Alan Napleton, Catholic Marketing Network
Apr. 20: conference on Capital Punishment at the University of Dallas. Speakers were:Joseph Bessette, Alice Tweed Tuohy Professor of Government & Ethics, Claremont McKenna College, California; James Megivern, Emeritus Professor Philosophy & Religion, University of North Carolina, Wilmington; E. Christian Brugger, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies, Loyola University, New Orleans; Steven Long, Professor of Philosophy, University of St. Thomas, Minnesota; Deacon Joseph Milligan, Holy Family Parish, Fort Worth; Judge Cynthia Stevens Kent, 114th District Court, Smith County; Thomas D’Amore, Prosecution Attorney, 282nd District Court, Dallas County; James Hitchcock, Professor of History, St. Louis University; and Mark and Louise Zwick, Houston Catholic Worker
May 3: Conference on the Family
2001
Feb. 2-3: “Catholic Virtues, American Virtues” – conference at The University Club, Washington, DC. Speakers: Ralph McInerny, University of Notre Dame, IN; Dr. Thomas Hibbs, Boston College, MA; Dr. Russell Hittinger, University of Tulsa, OK; Dr. John Berkman, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC; Dr. Gilbert Meilaender, Valparaiso University, Valparaiso, IN; Dr. Kevin Ryan, Boston University, MA; the Rev. Benedict Ashley, O.P.; Dr. Peter Berkowitz, George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, VA; and Michael Novak, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC.
Apr. 17: “Catholic Institutions and Faith-Based Initiatives” – luncheon at the Institute of World Politics, Washington, DC. Speakers: Dr. John Farina, Senior Fellow in Law and Religion at FRI; John Carr, Secretary, Department of Social Development and World Peace, U.S. Catholic Conference; Edward Orzechowski, President, Catholic Charities of Washington, DC; and Dr. Brian Anderson, The Manhattan Institute and City Journal.
June 6: “Hispanic Catholics and the American Public Square” – luncheon discussion held at the Doubletree Hotel Park Terrace in Washington, DC, on the recent census data on the growing Hispanic population. Speakers: Gaston Espinoza, Project Manager, Hispanic Churches in American Public Life; Fr. Alan Deck, S.J., Executive Director, Loyola Institute for Spirituality and Adjunct Professor, Loyola Marymount University; and Peter Skerry, Associate Professor, Claremont McKenna College and Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution.
June 15-17: “The Transmission of the Catholic Social Tradition” – conference held at Notre Dame, IN, in conjunction with Commonweal, and supported by Pew Charitable Trusts. Visit our joint project website, American Catholics in the Public Square.
July 3: “The Christian Churches in India” – dicussion held at the Capital Research Center in Washington, DC. Speakers: V. B. Coutinho, Dean of University Law College, Bangalore, India; P. Jayakiran, fomer Central Intelligence Officer, and member of National Executive YMCA’s of India; M. J. Narendranath, General Secretary, YMCA of India; and Samuel Issmer, President, South Asian Council for Children and Communities in Crisis, Bangalore, India.
Sept. 5: luncheon with the Most Rev. Ioan Robu, Archbishop of Bucharest, Romania, and president of the Romanian Bishops’ Conference. Archbishop Robu, who has been energetically involved in rebuilding his country since the fall of Communism, spoke about his efforts to care for orphans and the poor, to supplement health and welfare services, and to restore the Catholic Church, which was suppressed and badly damaged under the previous system.
Sept. 24: “Just War Principles and Counterterrorism: The Role of the Catholic Church” – seminar held at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, DC. Speakers included Admiral P. Michael Ratliff (USN-Ret.), former chief of Naval Intelligence; Dr. Andrew Bacevich, Boston University; the Rev. Drew Christiansen, S.J., Woodstock Theological Seminary; Gerald Powers, Office of Social Development and World Peace, U.S. Catholic Conference; George Weigel, Ethics & Public Policy Center; and Dr. Keith Pavlischek, Center for Public Justice.
Oct. 25: “Catholic Philanthropy and American Culture” – seminar discussion held at the Doubletree Hotel Park Terrace in Washington, DC. Presenters included Sister Mary Oates, Regis College and author of The Catholic Philanthropic Tradition in America; Dr. Francis Bulter, Director of FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities); Dr. Donald D’Amour, CEO of Big Y Foods, Inc.; Michael Crofton, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Trust Co.; and Dr. Michael Joyce, President of Americans for Community and Faith-Centered Enterprise.
Dec. 18: “Catholic Social Teaching in the Seminaries” – half-day conference held at the Georgetown University Conference Center in Washington, DC. Presenters included Dr. Samuel Gregg, Acton Institute; Dr. Brian Benestad, University of Scranton; Rev. Robert Zylla, O.S.C., Mount St. Mary’s Seminary; and Dr. Joseph Capizzi, Catholic University of America.
2000
Feb. 23: “Divine Wisdom and Christian Humanism” – luncheon discussion at the Institute for World Politics, Washington, DC. Presenter: the Very Rev. Augustine Di Noia, Director of the Secretariat for Doctrine and Pastoral Practices of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. As the principal adviser to the American bishops on matters of doctrine, Father Di Noia spoke on the contributions that Catholicism might make to the United States in this new century if the Church can take advantage of current opportunities and overcome present obstacles.
May 19: “Are Vouchers Good for Catholic Schools?” – seminar at the U.S. Capitol. Speakers: Honorable Dick Armey (R-TX), Majority Leader of the House of Representatives; Rev. William Davis, Assistant Secretary for Catholic Schools, United States Catholic Conference; Brother Bob Smith, President of Messmer High School, Milwaukee, WI; Michael Hartmann, Esq., Coordinator for Civic Renewal for The Bradley Foundation, Milwaukee, WI; and Mr. Douglas Dewey, Executive Vice-President, Children’s Scholarship Fund. The event was co-sponsored by Majority Leader Dick Armey, Congressman Bob Schaffer, and Congressman Joe Pitts.
June 2-4: “The Patterns of Catholic Civic Engagement: Change and Continuity” – conference at the Historic Inns of Annapolis. Speakers: John McGreevy, University of Notre Dame, IN; John Farina, Faith & Reason Institute, Washington, DC; Leslie Tentler, Catholic University of America, Washington, DC; Stephen Pope, Boston College, MA; J. Bryan Hehir, Harvard University, MA; Michael Novak, American Enterprise Institute, Washington, DC; Michele Dillon, Yale University, New Haven, CT; Scott Appleby, University of Notre Dame, IN; Robert Royal, Faith & Reason Institute, Washington, DC; Russell Shaw, Our Sunday Visitor; David Leege, University of Notre Dame, IN; E.J. Dionne, Brookings Institution, Washington, DC; Steven Wagner, QEV Analytics, Washington, DC; Dana Gioia, independent writer & poet; Gregory Wolfe, Image; and Mary Pat Kelly, independent filmmaker & author.
June 5: “Catholic Generations” – dinner discussion at Washington Embassy Row Hilton. Speakers: Professor James Davidson, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, and W. Bradford Wilcox, founder of Re:Generation Quarterly and Ph.D. candidate in sociology of religion at Princeton University, NJ.
September 1: “Roundtable on American Catholics and Politics: History, Doctrine, and Voting Patterns” – APSA 2000 Annual Meeting, at the Washington Hilton and Towers. Speakers: Peter Steinfels, The New York Times; Robert Royal, Faith and Reason Institute, Washington, DC; David Leege, University of Notre Dame, IN; and Jean Bethke Elshtain, University of Chicago, IL.
Oct. 27: “The Political Preferences of American Catholics on the Eve of the 2000 Elections” – press luncheon at the National Press Club, Washington, DC, on the results of a September 2000 survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University. Panelists: David Leege, University of Notre Dame, IN; Mary McGrory, The Washington Post; Kate O’Beirne, National Review; and Steven Wagner, QEV Analytics.
Nov. 29: “An Unfinished Argment: John Courtney Murray, Dignitatis Humanae, and the Catholic Theory of the State” – luncheon at the Hilton Washington Embassy Row. Presenter: Professor Kenneth Grasso, Southwest Texas State University; respondent: Anthony Picarello, The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.
